The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for generating configuration data for a device to access a service. The present invention particularly relates to the generation of configuration data where there is a need to generate many similar configurations for devices having some common configuration parameters to access a service.
Providers of services or equipent often have the need to generate configuration parameters for computer equipment which are required to access the services. An example of this is in the field of Internet service provision where Internet service providers often have to provide specific configuration software to configure communication devices such as modems, ISDN terminal adapters, and LAN routers in order to allow users to access the services provided by the Internet Service Provider (ISP). Conventionally this has been achieved by either specifying the entire configuration for each device individually or by providing a configuration program wherein generic configuration parameters are encapsulated within the program code and user-specific configuration parameters are entered by the user of the device. This arrangement is however inflexible. It does not allow a service provider to modify the generic parameters since they are contained within the code. Also, it does not allow the types of user-specific parameters to be varied without rewriting the program. Further, when configuration data is generated for a device, the complete set of configuration data is stored for that device even though much of it is generic. This causes a significant increase in storage space required for they centralised storing of configuration data for a number of devices. Also, this does not allow a service provider to easily modify configuration parameters which are generic to a number of devices. Such a modification conventionally requires the regeneration individually of all said configuration data for all devices affected by the change. This is an administrative burden as well as being time consuming.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the limitations in the prior art and provide a method and apparatus which gives flexibility to an administrator to enter, modify or delete generic configuration data and to define user-specific configuration parameters.
The first aspect of the present invention achieves the above objects by providing an administrator interface which allows an administrator to enter configuration parameters for a generalised or generic configuration and to define user-specific configuration parameters necessary for the generation of a complete set of configuration data. The entered configuration parameters are stored in a storage device together with information identifying the user-specific configuration parameters required in order to complete a set of configuration data for a device. A user interface allows a user to enter the user-specific configuration parameters. A configuration generator generates a set of configuration data using said stored configuration parameters and said user-specific configuration parameters.
Thus, this aspect of the present invention achieves the object by allowing an administrator to define the generic configuration parameters and the user-specific configuration parameters. The generic configuration parameters can thus be stored and combined with the user-specific configuration parameters when input in order to generate a complete set of configuration data. The administrator thus has control over which parameters a user can enter or change.
It is an object of a second aspect of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for generating configuration parameters which allows for the separation of generic configuration parameters and user-specific configuration parameters.
This object of the present invention is achieved by an apparatus and method in which generic configuration parameters which are common to a plurality of possible specific configurations are input and stored. Specific configuration parameters which are specific to a device configuration are input and stored separately to the generic configuration parameters. A set of configuration parameters for device configuration thus comprises the generic configuration parameters and a group of specific configuration parameters.
This aspect of the present invention enables the convenient updating of configuration parameters for a group of devices by simply updating the generic configuration parameters. Thus only one set of configuration parameters need be updated which causes the updating of the configuration parameters for a number of device configurations.
It is an object of a further aspect of the present invention, to organise the storage and display of configuration parameters to enable an operator to more easily understand and input configuration parameters.
This object of the present invention is achieved by an apparatus and method for generating configuration data for a device to access a service. A database contains: (I) a set of feature meta data comprising attributes for a plurality of features, wherein a feature comprises a user definable characteristic for at least one of the device and the service and is defined by a group of configuration parameters, and (II) a plurality of sets of said configuration parameters, each set corresponding to a feature. An interface including a display is configured in dependence upon said set of feature meta data to display prompts for the input of said configuration parameters to said database. The prompts are grouped for each feature in accordance with said sets of configuration parameters in said database.
In an embodiment, the interface is not only configured in dependence upon said set of feature meta data to display said prompts, but also to validate the parameters input by the user in accordance with the meta data.